Rebirth: A Continuation of Sorts
by DarkWingsXXX
Summary: Their line of sight crossed, and he thought he saw his Yuuki once more. Was she reality, or the fantasy of a grieving man?
1. Chapter 1

Rebirth

Someone requested a story for Fragments, in which Yuuki comes back and Zero does not die. This is that story. I will keep the other things from Fragments, consider this a continuation of sorts, or even an alternate ending.

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight by Matsuri Hino. Her characters are only borrowed from time to time for my personal enjoyment.

Were his eyes deceiving him? Was she just another figment of his shattered heart, of his precious angel, or a real girl? The object of his interest was the petite girl with short, dark hair who was waiting patiently to cross the street. Zero wouldn't have even seen her if he had not been scanning the streets for vampires, unusually eager to kill.

Ever since her death, he had thrown himself into his work, had cared little about his own well-being, despite the concerns of others. He didn't want their pity, he needed his Yuuki. But she was gone, never to appear again. The world had gone on, yet she did not, her fragments piled into an urn that was buried next to a lonely grave. And now, it seemed as if his mind was playing tricks on him, conjuring up a girl who looked, and smelled, yes, smelled, like Yuuki. Usually, his hallucinations weren't so vivid, so alive. In contrast, they were faded and blurry, leaving him with only an impression of her smile, of the warmth in her eyes that he so craved.

As if she had noticed the intensity of his stare, the girl looked up, and their line of sight met. Her eyes were a different hue- not the reddish brown he so loved. She was biting her lip, as if nervous, and seemed to fidget under his gaze before abruptly disappearing into the throng of people. He didn't know the color of her eyes, only that she didn't have Yuuki's. He wanted to tell her not to leave, to stay so that they could talk- about what?, so that he could confirm something- what was there to confirm in the first place?.

He had thought of her as Yuuki, clearly, he had just imagined things. She did not know him, nor did he know her. She was a different person, not his Yuuki, not the girl who had died. If she was even close, it might have been appearance, nothing more. Lips pulling downwards into a frown, Zero Kiryuu left the streets of the village, heading back to the Association building, built out of what had once been Cross Academy.

…  
She had stared at the silver haired man when she felt a pair of strange eyes boring into her, had fidgeted and ran from his all-too intense, amethyst gaze. Although Yuki was sure that she had not seen him before, there was a part of her slumbering mind that had, for a moment, thought of him as familiar, the part of her that she often dreamed about, wondered about. Biting her lip again, the seventeen year old gnawed on it without mercy as she headed into the warmth of the home she shared with her parents. Why had he stared at her like he had just seen a ghost?

Why had he looked at her in the first place? And who was the girl in the memories and utterly too realistic dreams that she had been recently experiencing?

Author's Note: This is the beginning of the AU of Fragments, in which Zero died at the end. In this, he has not committed suicide, but hallucinates about her often, confusing the line between illusions and reality. This girl is Not the same Yuki, but she has fragments of memories from the one who died, making her a reincarnation of sorts. I don't know if I like this story or not, it's hard to tell right now.


	2. Chapter 2: First Encounter

Note: This is a continuation/Alternate ending to Fragments, consider it as more of an epilogue.

Disclaimer: I have not, and never will, own Vampire Knight by Matsuri Hino.  
I do however, own this particular story.

Reason I'm writing this: It's a request to be completed by an anonymous reviewer, who wanted Zero to live, and not commit suicide like he did at the end. So, voila.

Revival:

Years had passed since the death of the girl he had once held so dear. Those years had not been kind to him, giving him the feel of an old man, trapped in the body of someone much younger than how he felt. His eyes held not a sign of life, the amethyst orbs dull and clouded with eternal grief. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get over her death, not get over the departure of the one who had been his life, his reason to even continue breathing. And yet, she was gone, leaving nothing more than treasured memories and an urn of her glass fragments. Sometimes, he caught sight of her- yet these were only illusions conjured up by a desperate mind to catch even a sight of her lovely form.

Today, he thought he saw her again as he walked along the streets just outside Cross Academy. Somehow, this sighting seemed different. Blinking his eyes once, twice, three times, he saw that indeed, this girl was no illusion. She smelled like his Yuuki, even resembled her. And yet, when she caught sight of the stranger staring at her, this girl's auburn eyes held no indication of recognition. She gave him a nervous smile, fidgeting as she hurriedly disappeared amidst the crowd of strangers, occasionally looking back at the silver haired man who was still staring after her.

"Yuuki…" the name sounded like honey on his tongue, a sweet delicacy that he ached to enjoy. And she had been there, she had looked at him, but now she was running away from him. His Yuuki was back, he could not let her go, not again. He couldn't let her slip from his grasp a third time, not let her fade into the halls of time. Thus, he began to run after the stranger, following her sweet, aromatic scent that clung to the air, refusing to fade, even in the midst of other city smells. He sped up, eyes glittering with anticipation, lips pulling upwards into a smile as he caught sight of her again, this time alone, heading towards a house at the end of the street. He couldn't help it, he had to follow her, had to see her for one last time, had to talk to her.

"Yuuki!" he called, crying out loud enough for the girl to hear. And hear she did, her body turning ever so slightly towards him, reddish eyes wide with…fear, and perhaps caution. Yes, he could spy caution in those auburn depths that he so adored.

"I'm sorry, I don't know you," the girl said, her lips twitching upwards into an apprehensive, yet entirely apologetic, smile.

At her words, he stopped, and regarded the girl with a closed-off expression, even though his eyes showed desperation..and a hope that was being shattered. _She didn't remember_, let alone know who he was. Letting out a sigh, the vampire hunter looked down, and was about to walk away when something came over the girl, and she gripped his shoulder. Turning his head to look at her with curiosity, he saw something come over her eyes- a flash of recognition, of confusion, and then the moment had passed, her hand releasing him.

"I am very sorry miss," he said, his words clipped as he again started to walk away, leaving the girl to stare after him.

For a single moment, the girl had recognized him, had somehow recalled who he was as a fragment of an unfamiliar memory came to her…one of a silver haired boy with amethyst eyes. An inner part of her had identified him as Zero, and she wondered, just for a moment, if that was the same boy, but then she let it go. It wasn't possible.

Meanwhile, as the hunter headed down the street, his eyes closed, and the image of the girl from earlier arose in his mind, of the girl who looked so much like Yuuki. It seemed…as if she had returned, returned to his side, where she belonged.

Yuki's Point of View:

This had been the second time that she encountered him, and the first time that they had exchanged words.


	3. Images of the Forgotten Past

Disclaimer: I do not own, and never will claim to own, Vampire Knight by Matsuri Hino. This is simply a tribute to her, as I will never do as well as she.

Pairing: Zero/Yuuki

Point of View: I am taking a break from Zero, and including this little bit from Yuuki's view.

Chapter Three: The Forgotten Past

Twice she had met him, had encountered the silver haired stranger that stirred her thoughts. Twice, she had dreamed about him-why, she did not know. Yet, for some strange, almost terrifying reason, she found herself thinking about him, felt a sense of familiarity with the man that resonated deeply with the core of her being. Fragments of images of long past recognized the boy as Zero, recognized him as one who had held her heart. For a week after their second encounter, she often lay on her bed at night, tossing and turning in a restless slumber, nearly driving herself to madness with the musings. Still, she did not reach a conclusion, did not feel any sense of clarity, only succeeded reaching the muddied shores of wordless confusion.

On the eighth night, Yuuki collapsed into a fitful sleep, for her body could resist the seductive beckoning of the restorative darkness no longer. Tossing and turning, the seventeen year old tangled herself within a net of blankets, eyes fluttering, lips pulling downwards into the curve of a frown. Images flowed within her tired psyche, flashing past her eyes much too fast, providing an infinite supply of confusion.

She was trapped in a dark corridor, holding a tall, brown haired stranger to her chest. Her body grew weaker and weaker by the minute, babbling something to the man, words meant to explain and give reassurance, words met with only futile protests and desperate struggles. However, his cries fell on a pair of deaf ears. Through the darkness, Yuuki could hear the resounding thud of approaching footsteps, coming closer and closer. Blackness gathered around her vision, causing her to only see out of two, fading tunnels of light. Something warm and wet trickled down her face in a narrow stream, further sapping what little remaining strength that she possessed. Senses dulled, limbs heavy and weary, her grip loosening on the dark haired man.

Hearing was the last sense to depart her body, sinking into the blackness of the cold, silent abyss. Before she departed the world for good, she heard a strangled cry, the cry of another, one whose voice cried out her name with unrestrained desperation and sadness.

"Yuuki!"

When Yuuki awakened, she found herself bathed in darkness. Shakily, she extricated herself from the tangled mass of blankets and sheets, rubbing her eyes fiercely as she tried to drive the bubbling moisture away. Why was she crying in the first place? Her body did not feel rested, she felt bone weary, her limbs heavy and wanting nothing more than to collapse, to fall into a dreamless slumber. However, her racing thoughts would not permit her any form of respite, instead forcing her to wonder about nightmares.

Author's Note: Ugh, I don't think I did this very well. Any comments/suggestions will be helpful. Sorry for not having updated recently, I was quite busy.


End file.
